A veteran soccer striker from the English lower leagues has earned himself a 42-month ban for making over 6,000 bets on the sport, including games in which he played, according to Cumbria’s News & Star.
The English FA charge comes after Ryan Bowman, 33, had previously confessed to making 6,397 soccer bets from June 2015 through September 2023.
Bowman bet on games while at multiple franchises, starting with Torquay United back in 2014. Other teams included Exeter City, Shrewsbury Town, Hereford United, York City, and Scottish franchise Motherwell FC.
spot-betted on himself to score”
According to reports, Bowman bet both on and against his team, Shrewsbury. He also bet on Exeter while with the team. During his time at both these franchises, Bowman “spot-betted on himself to score.”
The FA Commission investigating the journeyman striker learned Bowman staked a total of £203,758.57 ($277,288.56) on soccer games. This outlay put £182,189.85 ($247,930.32) in Bowman’s pocket, for a net loss of £21,548.72 ($29,326.19).
Bowman also deleted incriminating messages on his phone despite the FA warning him not to. He said he panicked over the messages and “thought I’d try and hide it and then it would not come out.”
